Recently, I posted a video of a home decorating project. It involved me creating a pattern on my wall with decal stickers and covering it with a gallery of framed art.
But it didn’t end there. I then created a smaller version of the wall, within a frame that would hang alongside the other art.
And this smaller version would hold an even smaller version of itself, which of course had to include an even smaller smaller version.
The video went viral and I loved all the funny comments I was getting. Stuff like “Is this maximalist?…Yes, and also minimalist,” “this is deeply deranged and I love it,” and “what in the aderall did I just watch?”
Of course, you can’t post anything without getting at least one or two negative comments. One of which has been stuck in my craw for two months now. Somebody wrote “why do millennials think curse words are inherently funny?”
They were referring to the tiniest framed “FUCK” in the second to smallest gallery wall.
This comment got under my skin. First off, how dare you? I am Gen X. A young one, but still. Secondly, I do not think curse words are inherently funny. But they do make money, much to my chagrin.
Years ago, I opened an Etsy shop. It was initially supposed to be a place to sell my handmade comedy merch. The first item I offered was a small “Inspirational Quote on a Rustic Piece of Wood in Multiple Fonts,” and it came with a download of my stand up album, so you could listen to the joke that inspired the piece. From there, I started occasionally selling one-off handmade crafts.
The first big seller was a tiny embroidered creation. It was simply the word “Fuuuuuuuuck” stitched across two hoops. The idea was that sometimes there's just not enough room on one embroidery hoop to fit your feelings, so I made two.
Back then, I was becoming obsessed with cross-stitch, particularly vintage patterns from the 80s and 90s. The more granny the vibe, the more I liked it. I mean, look at this shit.
This was also around the time that subversive cross stitch was becoming a thing. People would embroider phrases like “eat a bag of dicks” in a dainty font, surrounded by stitched petunias. Even though my preference was always the vintage stuff, I understood and appreciated this new trend.
It is indeed funny to see cuss words like “fuck” and “pussy” in a medium usually reserved for Bible verses, teddy bears, and mallard ducks. Not only that, but embroidery is also considered a “craft” (i.e., art, except a woman did it). Stitching is just something pretty that old ladies do to pass the time. Now, women were fighting back and putting absolute filth on anything made of fabric.
Historically, young girls were taught to stitch from a young age, and creating their own sampler was a way to demonstrate not only their skill, but also their virtue.
In college, I wrote an essay about medieval women and embroidery. I was fascinated by the relationship between needlework, the oppression of women, and the ways in which they found freedom in it. I have long forgotten all of the details, but this undoubtedly better-written article does a good job of introducing the idea that medieval women used embroidery to subtly express taboo emotions and ideas.
“Most embroidery pattern books were written by men, and in rejecting the patterns (and sentiments) that were proposed by them, these women exerted power and emotional authority, while treading the line between masculine authoritativeness and female passivity.”
It seems that cross-stitch has always been subversive. It’s just that nowadays, there’s no subtlety to it. Probably because in 2024, you won’t be put to death for stitching the word “cunt” onto a placemat. (Though that may change in 2025.)
I have never thought the mere presence of profanity was funny. But profanity itself is a release of tension and emotion. (This is something I got to learn a lot about when I wrote on The History of Swear Words on Netflix.) What else is a release of tension and emotion? Comedy. Swears are potent words that can clash against unexpected context and provide just the right juxtaposition needed for a laugh.
You can, of course, dilute the power of “fuck” by overusing it.
I grew tired of the format, especially because it started to feel hacky. And I felt like I was pandering to a certain type of person who does think a cuss word is inherently funny, and that annoyed me. Or that I was part of a mass expression of “fuck it all” because the world is so messed up, why bother doing anything about it?
So in 2021, I attempted a “clean” holiday ornament drop. No cuss words in sight. And wouldn’t you know it, my sales were notably down. I tweeted something like “what do you people want? a christmas ornament with ‘eat my ass’ on it?” Well, apparently that’s exactly what they wanted. And I, needing money to survive, gave it to them.
Oh well. I still try to find the appropriate context to validate the presence of each cuss word I put in my work. Though I may personally be tired of the motif, crafts are still a pretty funny place for blasphemy. And what can I say? Women’s rage is all the rage these days. It sells.
I think it’s fine to use your Cricut machine to put BITCH ASS MOTHERFUCKER onto a tote bag. Or to give the tiniest “fuck” and put it in a 0.25 inch frame, and surround it with a visual representation of your mental health issues. I guess the real question isn’t “why do millennials think curse words are inherently funny?” It’s more like, can you follow such smarmy expression with action? Can you look for a deeper context? Can you pursue your art and a better world, while also making the money you need to survive? I hope so.
Anyway, this was just a very long-winded way to introduce to you my…
2024 HOLIDAY ORNAMENT DROP!
No cuss words this time, but I DO have some hip Gen Alpha lingo for you! BUY BUY BUY BUY! I’m this close to making a miniature skibidi toilet! Don’t tempt me!
But for real I would love to make you one of these delightful items.
This essay has everything that G.K. Chesterton’s “Orthodoxy” does, except this essay is shorter, it is funnier, it is aware that women exist, and it has merch. ❤️❤️❤️
There is scientific proof that swearing loudly after accidentally whacking your hand with a hammer reduces the pain. I love your tiny fuck painting.